Knowledge Center Catalog

Fungi associated with Kansas hybrid seed corn

Melchers, L.E

Fungi associated with Kansas hybrid seed corn - Beltsville, MD (USA) : USDA. Agricultural Research Service, 1956. - Printed

Isolations of fungi associated with Kansas grown hybrid seed corn for the crop years 1952-54, inclusive, showed the presence of one to five species of each of thirteen genera. Occurrence of certain species of fungi reported earlier in Kansas open-pollinated varieties of corn is compared with that of fungi isolated from hybrid corn grown in Kansas. There are come marked similarities. The most prevalent fungus was Fusarium moniliforme. In 1954 yellow corn hybrid samples had 75.6 percent and white hybrids 69.0 percent of the kernels infected. Considering the three crop years 1952-54, however, all the kernels of white and yellow hybrids cultures from the counies producing hybrid seed corn showed an average of 40.0 percent F. moniliforme. None of the other fungi isolated approached this percentage. This fungus was likewise themost commonly found in Kansas open-pollinated varieties in 1920-22, inclusive. In those years an average of all kernels tested had 94.0 percent F. moniliforme. This fungus is not regarded in Kansas as a pathogen on seed corn. Diplodia zeae and Nigrospora oryzae are recognized fungus pathogens. In the present investigations they were isolated in small percentages in some hybrid seed samples. Aspergillus niger was isolated in more than usual amonts from kernels of white and yellow hybrids and selfed lines in the crop of 1953. It was referred to as "smut" by seed processors, but it was not the corn smut fungus. Infected kernels were less vigorous in germination than non-infected seed. All other species of fungi isolated varied in prevalence during a crop year.


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